


So Pray for the Soldiers of Misfortune

by smaragdbird



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, POV Minor Character, POV Outsider, i swear this started out funny and then I had to make myself sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 23:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9210647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: So one day Cassian turns up with a reprogrammed Imperial droid who's not only fully sentient and very sarcastic but also disobeys orders when he feels like it. On top of that Cassian not only refuses to re-reprogram him but talks to and about his droid as if he's a person and usually takes Kay's side when someone points out what would be considered some serious flaws in other droids.But Cassian is a damn good spy and if the sarcastic droid makes him happy then most people in the Rebellion are ready to look the other wayaka five times someone witnessed Cassian's and K-2SO's unique relationship first hand





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this ](http://rogueonekink.dreamwidth.org/1084.html?thread=181564#cmt181564) prompt

Draven’s first instinct was to shoot the Imperial droid that walked out of the ship behind Cassian and he would have if not for Cassian’s frantic, “Don’t shoot!”

“Why not?” Draven asked his weapon still trained on the droid who was curiously looking around.

“He’s the defector I told you about.”

Draven lowered his blaster slightly. “A droid?”

“Hello, I’m K-2SO”, the droid in question said. “There is a 13.2% chance these temples will crumble and burry your base beneath them. They don’t look structurally sound.”

Draven raised his weapon again. “What the fuck, Cassian?” He didn’t feel like the situation merited any kind of formality.

Cassian actually smiled a little sheepishly. “He tried to talk me through the reprogramming but I think something went wrong. But he means well.”

“Why would you bring an Imperial droid with you anyway? Why didn’t you just copy its core and destroy it?”

“I can hear you”, the droid said a testily. “And it was my idea. I figured there was an 83.5% chance the Rebellion could use a droid of my series for infiltration.” It shrugged. “And I wanted a new job.”

“It’s a long story”, Cassian said.

The droid looked down at him. “It’s not. The only part missing is your entrapment in an Imperial facility and my offer to help you in exchange for taking me with you.”

“Yeah, thanks, Kay”, Cassian replied.

Draven felt a headache approaching. Of course Cassian had already given the droid a nickname. He holstered his weapon. “Captain Andor, debriefing now. Meanwhile we’ll put the droid in a security hold and check that he doesn’t have a tracker or something like it.”

/

Tonc slapped Cassian’s shoulder as he sat down next to him. “How’s it going, Andor?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Sefla asked from opposite Cassian, “Our resident lone wolf is getting a partner.”

Tonc raised his eyebrows and grinned. “That’s new. Who is it?”

Sefla returned the grin. “Apparently it’s a new Imperial defector who helped Cassian escape from the Imperial complex on JanFathal.”

Cassian hadn’t missed the suggestive tone and shot Sefla an annoyed look. “I told you it wasn’t like that.”

“So ‘Kay’ didn’t rescue you?” Sefla asked.

Before Cassian could reply Tonc’s eyes widened. “Shit, there’s an Imperial droid.” He pointed to the other end of the mess hall where K-2SO had appeared. 

“Oh yeah, it’s been reprogrammed. They’re using it for infiltration and that kind of shit”, Sefla explained as if it was old news. “Better that than us getting blown up, right Cassian?”

But Cassian wasn’t listening to him. Instead he was watching K-2SO who was waving him over impatiently. Cassian replied with a quick gesture that meant as much as to give him a moment and shovelled the rest of his food down.

“If you excuse me, it seems Kay and I got a new mission”, he said and stood up.

Sefla and Tonc watched him walk over to K-2SO whom he greeted with a smile and an affectionate slap on the back.

“That is Kay?” Tonc asked when both Cassian and K-2SO had left.

“Apparently”, Sefla replied, equally bemused by the revelation. He turned back to Tonc. “I thought Cassian didn’t like droids.”

“To be fair I thought Cassian didn’t like anyone”, Tonc said. “But hey, whatever makes him happy right?”

“Do you really think...?

“Have you ever seen Cassian smile at anyone like this who wasn’t a target?” Tonc asked back.

“Fair enough”, Sefla admitted, “but I don’t want to think about it.”

“Same.”

/

“Your droid disobeyed a direct command”, Cracken said. He should’ve known that letting Andor keep an Imperial droid with such a deviant personality core would be a mistake. “What is your defence?”

“I only disobeyed the command because following it lowered the odds of achieving the desired outcome”, K-2SO replied.

“I was talking to Captain Andor”, Cracken replied.

“Why? The Captain wasn’t even present when I made the decision”, K-2SO replied.

“As your master he is responsible for you.”

“He’s not my master.” 

“I am not his master”, Cassian and K-2SO said simultaneously.

“We are partners”, K-2SO said. “And punishing Cassian for a decision I made without his knowledge is illogical and counterproductive.”

“I don’t care what you call it”; Cracken snapped. “Droids do not count as persons therefore you are Captain Andor’s property and any decision you ‘make’ is regarded as his.”

“That law is archaic, biased towards organic lifeforms and - “

“Kay!” Cassian interrupted him sharply. “Leave it.”

“But – “

“I said, leave it.” Even through the holo transmission Cracken couldn’t miss the silent communication between the two of them. He had heard rumours about Andor and his droid but he would’ve never thought that there was any substance to it. Now he was not so sure anymore.

“I apologise, General”, K-2SO said.

“I apologise as well, sir”, Cassian said. “I accept any punishment you see fit for the insubordination.”

Cracken was tempted to order Andor to reprogram his droid but he hadn’t become head of the Alliance’s intelligence division by being short-sighted or stupid. He knew that intelligence operatives needed more freedom to do their job than regular soldiers. And Andor and his droid brought in results, good results. Andor had been a damn good intelligence officer on his own with his history of being part of one insurgence movement or another for the past twenty years. But Andor and his droid were a match made by the Force or whatever higher power there was out there.

“Captain Andor you will be reassigned to the rebel cell on Onderon for a month. Meanwhile your droid will help with the construction of the outpost on Hoth. I’ll send the orders to General Draven.” Cracken knew that Cassian hated warm, wet jungle worlds like Onderon having grown up on a cold city planet. And no one liked Hoth. Also being separated for a while would do them some good.

/

“All I’m saying is that I’ve had it worse.”

Cassian raised his eyebrows. “You had it worse? I was stuck on Onderon for a month.”

“Hoth is wet, freezing and filled with large, dangerous creatures that would love to sharpen their teeth and claws on an unsuspecting droid.”

“Onderon is a hot, wet jungle world with even more deadly wildlife and I’m not made of metal, Kay.”

“At least it’s civilised.” K-2SO crossed his arms over his chest. “I had to help build any semblance of civilisation on that frozen rock.” 

“Civil-“Cassian tripped over his own words. “Onderonians are the least civilised people on this galaxy. I’d rather – “

Pao was a demolitions expert. He possessed a great memory, attention to detail and near infinite patience. He respected Cassian and K-2SO and he was also ready to detonate the bombs for the Imperial factories on Lothal early if the two of them didn’t stop bickering.

Sure Fulcrum had only given them a small window of opportunity to destroy the secret Imperial weapons complex on Lothal but Pao thought it would be worth putting himself out of this misery. Both Cassian and K-2SO had only come back from Onderon and Hoth respectively this morning for this mission and it seemed they had to make up for the month they had been apart.

“ – radio silence on this mission. Which means I can’t ask you for permission for my every decision. What would General Cracken say?” K-2SO’s voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Cassian glared at him. “If you get me send to Kashyyk Kay, I swear I will – “

“If the two of you are incapable of not bickering with each other perhaps I should assign someone else as K-2SO’s mission control”, Pao interrupted them.

K-2SO shrugged. “I wouldn’t follow anyone else’s orders either but I may follow Cassian’s if he asks nicely.”

“Really?” Cassian drawled. “When have I ever not been nice to you?”

“Do you want the list sorted by date or alphabetically by planet?”

Pao gave up. He tried to settle into a more comfortable position and eyed the bombs again. It was going to be a long two hours until they reached Lothal.

/

Melshi hadn’t been looking for Cassian, not yet. They were still trying to grab whatever explosives, grenades and other weapons they could smuggle into their pockets and onto the Imperial shuttle. There would be no reinforcements, no relief, and no extraction. This was a one way mission and they all knew it.

It would be worth it. Melshi had to believe that. All he had done for the Rebellion would be for nothing if this mission wasn’t a success. A weapon strong enough to destroy planets, the thought alone turned his stomach to ice.

“Cassian.” The word floated through the air softly like a whisper and Melshi didn’t realise it had been K-2SO’s voice saying it before he actually spotted him. Or rather both of them. It was one of the empty temple rooms that had been declared unfit for use. Part of the wall had already given in and let daylight in. Otherwise Melshi would’ve never seen them.

K-2SO sat on the floor with Cassian curled around him, his arms slung around K-2SO’s shoulders and his face hidden in K-2SO’s neck. K-2SO had his arms around Cassian, holding him close and one of his hands was stroking Cassian’s hair. And going by the way Cassian’s body was shaking he was crying.

It was such an intimate, such a private moment that Melshi felt ashamed to have walked in on them. And yet it was so unexpected that he couldn’t move away. If it had been two people he would’ve thought they were saying their goodbyes, knowing what was about to happen to them. But K-2SO wasn’t a person, he was a droid and droids didn’t have feelings, did they?

Cassian moved slightly, laying his hand against the side of K-2SO’s face as he leaned their foreheads together. He was speaking softly. Melshi could see his lips move but Cassian was too quiet for him to hear.

Melshi knew he shouldn’t be here, that this was not for him to witness. Like everyone else on base he had heard the rumours surrounding Cassian and K-2SO but that had been supposed to be a joke and not even a particularly good or tasteful one.

But now that he saw the confirmation of those rumours with his own eyes, there was nothing funny about it. Melshi turned and left. Cassian and K-2SO weren’t needed yet. They’d be dead in a few hours, Melshi could give them five more minutes to say their goodbyes.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [ here](http://smaragdbird.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


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